| EPSRC Reference: |
EP/C511735/1 |
| Title: |
Micro/nanomanipulation of Single Chondrocytes to Determine Their Biological Responses to Mechanical Simulation for Cartilage Tissue Engineering |
| Principal Investigator: |
Zhang, Professor Z |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Chemical Engineering |
| Organisation: |
University of Birmingham |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
06 September 2005 |
Ends: |
05 November 2008 |
Value (£): |
198,234
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
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| Related Grants: |
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| Panel History: |
| Panel Date | Panel Name | Outcome |
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03 Dec 2004
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Healthcare Prioritisation Panel (Eng)
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Deferred
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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Humans, particularly those who have reached maturity, have a very limited ability to repair tissue once it has been formed. As we age we encounter many diseases and injuries which can damage our tissues. The cartilage, which lines our joints, is a tissue that loses all of its powers of repair as it matures. It is also susceptible to diseases such as osteoarthritis. Without cartilage we can't bear weight when we walk or run, and the bones in our joints will rub together painfully. For many years, surgeons have performed a number of operations to try to stimulate cartilage repair. Often the operations give satisfactory results but they also promote the formation of a mechanically inferior repair tissue which can make the joint more susceptible to osteoarthritis in later life. In recent years scientists and surgeons have tried to develop new ways to repair cartilage. One exciting approach is to try and grow 'replacement' cartilage outside the human body so that it can be transplanted into the site of disease or injury. This approach is called tissue engineering. It sounds simple but the reality of achieving a perfectly formed piece of human cartilage is far more complex than we think. There are many challenges which need addressing before we can achieve the ultimate goal of tissue engineered cartilage. Our research proposal tackles some of these challenges.Cartilage is formed by cartilage-producing cells called chondrocytes. As cartilage develops, the chondrocytes receive signals from a variety of molecules which control the nature and the quality of the cartilage formed. At the same time, chondrocytes express genes which help to direct the sequence of events involved in cartilage formation. The entire process is complicated and we don't fully understand how it works. We do know, however, that chondrocytes need to be mechanically loaded in order to produce and maintain their surrounding cartilage. This means that there must a a tight balance between cartilage formation and mechanical stimulation. Our research proposal focuses on this balance. If we know how to mechanically stimulate a chondrocyte and then analyse its response then we can use this information to achieve our ultimate goal of tissue engineered cartilage.In our proposal we will isolate individual chondrocytes from the cartilage. We will take the cells and apply different levels of mechanical stimulation. Then we will find out how the chondrocyte responds to the mechanical stimulation by studying the genes expressed. For mechanical stimulation, we have developed methods to compress a single cell between two flat surfaces. We do this using a very powerful microscope so we can study the cell as it is compressed. During the procedure, a special probe is used to measure the forces applied. After mechanical stimulation, we will be able to analyse the effect that mechanical stimulation has had on the chondrocytes. Then, in the long term, we will be able to use this information to create functional engineered cartilage.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.bham.ac.uk |